Study highlights need for primary care funding overhaul
Friday, 16 December 2022 12:10pm
A new study shows the disparity of patient need across general practices and backs calls for a complete overhaul of the front-line health care funding system.
Interprofessional healthcare education boosts early career skills
Tuesday, 9 August 2022 2:04pm
Health professional students who attended a five-week interprofessional education programme in Tairāwhiti run by the University of Otago several times each year developed better teamwork skills and more positive attitudes to working collaboratively with others, a study has found.
University of Otago sets up new health training course on West Coast
Monday, 29 March 2021 11:41am
Te Tai o Poutini is to benefit from an interprofessional learning programme set up by the University of Otago and funded by the Ministry of Health which will bring about 50 senior students in a variety of health professions each year to the Coast.
Honest answers, clear communication valued by pregnant patients
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 11:36am
Clear, honest communication and a good rapport with doctors are key factors in the high levels of satisfaction reported by patients with high risk pregnancies following consultation with specialist obstetricians, researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.
From hippie to GP academic: Ben Gray on activism, general practice and mojo
Thursday, 25 February 2021 11:37am
Ben Gray retired from general practice late last year, after 35 years.
Travel Medicine in a time of COVID
Thursday, 3 December 2020 11:39am
With COVID-19 vaccines now on the horizon, a travel doctor and convenor of the travel medicine programme at the University of Otago, Wellington, is urging general practice staff to undertake further study to upgrade their travel medicine skills.
University offers training in refugee and migrant health
Friday, 5 June 2020 1:08pm
A post-graduate course on refugee and migrant health being run by the University of Otago, Wellington is offering primary health care professionals the opportunity to improve their training in the area, ahead of a likely increase in the number of refugees coming to the country.
COVID-19 catalyst for significant change in general practice: Otago experts
Monday, 11 May 2020 6:28pm
COVID-19 may well be the catalyst for significant change in how general practice operates in New Zealand in future, according to University of Otago general practice experts.
Otago researchers making major contribution to Covid-19 response
Friday, 17 April 2020 12:35pm
A University of Otago molecular biologist has received new Government funding of $235,746 for Covid-19 related research to develop an effective point-of-care test for the infectious disease.
Misinformation on vaccines readily available online, study finds
Wednesday, 11 March 2020 11:44am
Parents researching childhood vaccinations online are likely to encounter significant levels of negative information, researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.
Real world focus for postgrad primary health care curriculum
Tuesday, 26 November 2019 11:04am
The convenor of refreshed postgraduate qualifications in primary health care at the University of Otago, Wellington, has brought years of experience working as a field medic for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in such global hotspots as Afghanistan and Sierra Leone – as well as on-the-ground work in rural and urban New Zealand - to the task.
Call for a new funded palliative care model as more Kiwis admitted to rest homes to die
Thursday, 14 November 2019 2:49pm
Increasing pressure on both public hospitals and hospices is resulting in more patients being “admitted-to-die” into aged residential care facilities (rest homes), which are not typically set up to provide specialist palliative care services.
Study points to need for care in inappropriate use of stigmatising terms in weight management
Friday, 7 June 2019 10:21am
A large quantitative research study has found using the terms ‘weight’ or ‘high BMI (body mass index)’ to describe excess fatness was rated as less stigmatising and less blaming than commonly used medical terms, such as ‘fat’ or ‘obese’.
‘Choosing Wisely’ reduces unnecessary tests and antibiotic use, study finds
Tuesday, 22 January 2019 1:09pm
A Hutt Valley District Health Board campaign to cut the number of urine tests being carried out on hospital patients not only significantly reduced the number of unnecessary tests being ordered but also lowered the level of antibiotic prescribing, a study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has found.
Pain common and increasing in prevalence in New Zealand
Friday, 30 November 2018 9:19am
Pain is an extremely common condition and increasing in prevalence in New Zealand, University of Otago researchers say.
Researchers call for end to fat stigma
Thursday, 11 October 2018 1:44pm
Researchers are using World Obesity Day today to call for an end to the stigma which fat people experience in their daily lives.
Obesity a tough topic for GPs, Otago research reveals
Friday, 18 May 2018 9:11am
New University of Otago research highlights the difficulties for GPs of discussing obesity with patients who are overweight and signals the need for resources to support them and other community health providers in this role.
Gaps in patient care pathway may perpetuate high rates of sexually transmitted infections
Wednesday, 9 May 2018 10:21am
There are gaps between best practice and documented management of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections in primary care, which may contribute to high rates of infection, new University of Otago research shows.
Talking about diabetes – improving health, one sentence at a time
Wednesday, 17 January 2018 9:53am
Primary care physicians can improve their communication to newly-diagnosed diabetes patients by offering more information specific to the patient’s experience, new research from Otago, Auckland and Victoria universities shows.
No smokefree signs at New Zealand racecourses, study shows
Friday, 27 October 2017 12:25pm
A survey of New Zealand racecourses and sports grounds with stands has found no smokefree signs at the racecourses and signage at less than half the sports grounds.
New research shows NZ children are surrounded by junk food ads
Monday, 9 October 2017 5:25pm
New Zealand children are exposed to around 27 unhealthy food advertisements per day, innovative camera research from Otago and Auckland Universities reveals.
New study shows General Practices at health training capacity
Friday, 22 September 2017 10:17am
A comprehensive survey in the lower North Island and South Island has revealed that general practices, although crucial for teaching our future health professionals, are at training capacity.
Professor Tony Dowell interviewed for RNZ Documentary on Mental Health
Wednesday, 13 September 2017 2:22pm
Professor Tony Dowell from the Department of Primary Health Care & General Practice was recently interviewed as part of the RNZ Insight Programme, entitled "NZ’s Mental Health at Breaking Point?"
Helping healthcare practitioners to work with language interpreters
Monday, 28 August 2017 11:44am
A team of researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington has just launched a unique on-line eLearning module to provide realistic and practical guidance for clinicians working with spoken language interpreters in primary health care.
'Big data' study shows high impact of childhood respiratory illnesses on primary care practices
Friday, 11 August 2017 2:48pm
A study using ‘big data’ has found that childhood respiratory illnesses, especially during the first two years of life, have a big impact on New Zealand primary care general practice (GP) workloads.
Turning healthcare around: Health professionals learning together makes for better healthcare
Thursday, 13 April 2017 8:41am
Poor communication between clinicians can turn health care into a bad experience. The University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) is turning this around through an interprofessional education (IPE) programme introduced in recent years for students across the disciplines – dietetics, medicine, physiotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Otago academics made full professor
Wednesday, 14 December 2016 2:25pm
Seventeen leading academics from across the University of Otago’s Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington campuses are being promoted to full professor.
Innovative Tairāwhiti programme scores well
Monday, 13 June 2016 12:35pm
A new study has shown that a rural health professional programme on the East Coast of the North Island near Gisborne is highly successful for students, patients and the local community.
Otago study links midwifery experience to survival chances of babies
Wednesday, 21 October 2015 11:52am
University of Otago researchers have found strong evidence that levels of midwifery experience in New Zealand are associated with baby mortality. The study has been published today in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Growing public support in the USA and Canada for smokefree outdoor laws
Wednesday, 16 September 2015 10:39am
A new study has found increasing support in the United States and Canada for smokefree laws for outdoor areas, especially in playgrounds and school grounds.
Unlocking ‘Big Data’ medical information
Tuesday, 15 September 2015 3:25pm
New Zealand researchers have developed a new way of extracting and classifying important information from the ‘Big Data’ stored in hundreds of thousands of electronic health records.
Otago study highlights at-risk group leaving hospital without contraception
Tuesday, 16 June 2015 10:35am
Women with near-fatal illnesses during pregnancy have been leaving New Zealand hospitals without the contraception that could prevent future serious harm to their health, a study by University of Otago, Wellington, has found.
Clinicians influence patients’ attitudes to back pain
Tuesday, 12 November 2013 3:25pm
Although people with low back pain consult with the Internet, family and friends for information and understanding of their symptoms, new research shows health care professionals appear to have the strongest influence on patients’ attitudes and beliefs.
Carl Smith Medal awarded to leading ecology researcher
Thursday, 4 July 2013 3:25pm
Dr Shinichi Nakagawa, a behavioural ecologist who has earned a growing international reputation for his research, is the latest recipient of the University of Otago’s Carl Smith Medal and Rowheath Trust Award.
Otago lecturers present fresh approach to role of doctors
Wednesday, 3 July 2013 2:43pm
University of Otago lecturers Hamish Wilson and Wayne Cunningham present a fresh approach to medical practice in their new book released this week by Otago University Press.
Demystifying Addiction – An Online Educational Resource
Wednesday, 6 March 2013 10:21am
A new free online educational resource has been developed by health researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington to help people learn about addiction directly from those who have experienced it.
Lack of trained interpreter use may affect patients and doctors
Friday, 9 September 2011 11:56am
Two studies by the University of Otago, Wellington, have shown that the use of trained interpreters by doctors and health professionals in New Zealand is inadequate, and needs more funding.
Acute heart drugs should be reconsidered for Maori and Pacific Islanders
Monday, 23 May 2011 9:26am
Researchers at the University of Otago say standard medication used for acute heart disease should be reconsidered for some Maori and Pacific Island patients because of drug resistance caused by high rates of Group A streptococcal infection, the same infection which leads to rheumatic fever.
Primary Care and General Practice successful in helping those with mental health problems
Monday, 10 August 2009 12:15pm
GPs and other primary health care professionals can provide effective care to people suffering from a wide range of mental health problems, a new report has concluded.
